Jeroen Smits
ODI stats - 169 runs @ 16.90 (SR: 46.94, best 29*) and 48 dismissals (41 ct, 7 st) in 38 matches
List A stats - 256 runs @ 12.80 (SR: n/a, best 29*) and 95 dismissals (81 ct, 14 st) in 68 matches
Jeroen Smits was not a batsman. In the modern era of batsman-keepers having replaced keeper-batsmen that is beyond a rarity, but so valuable were both his leadership and his glovework that his place in the side was absolutely never questioned. Imagine going through an entire representative career without ever bowling a ball, and also without ever scoring 30 with the bat. Now imagine that despite that, you are the first name on the team sheet - often at number eleven and often with a little (capt) next to your name. Despite the meagre returns, Smits worked hard on his batting: at the start of his one-day international career he used to bat below Adeel Raja; by the end of it, he batted above Edgar Schiferli and Pieter Seelaar.
Smits' career was bookended by two famous defeats of England, 20 years apart: in 1989, a teenaged Smits was 12th man when a hungover England team
narrowly lost to the Dutch by just three runs; in 2009, a grizzled Smits looked on, next in to bat, as
his strong team chased down a full-strength England's 162 on merit. A truly outstanding player, he will be my keeper and a captaincy candidate.
Aislabie's XI so far
1.
Aaron Finch (top-order hitter)
2.
Eddie Barlow (anchor accumulator, attacking seam bowler)
3.
Graeme Hick (top-order hitter, part-time spin bowler)
4.
Graeme Pollock (top-order hitter)
5.
Darren Lehmann (dynamic accumulator, stock spin bowler)
6.
Andrew Symonds (middle-order hitter, stock bowler)
7.
Mike Procter (death bowler, middle-order hitter)
8.
Keith Boyce (attacking seam bowler, lower-order hitter)
9.
Mitchell Johnson (express pace bowler, lower-order hitter)
10.
Sydney Barnes (attacking spin bowler)
11.
Jeroen Smits (wicket-keeper)
12th man - TBC
@sanchitgarg double pick